Hitting the Pickleball Twice on the Same Shot – The Double Hit – What’s the Rule?
This post has been updated in 2026 according to the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook (2026).
Here’s the Scenario. You Make the Call.
You hit a groundstroke – or, perhaps a serve – but hit the ball twice (a double hit) during the execution of the shot. What’s the call? This “double-hit” scenario rears its ugly head every so often on the pickleball courts. Intuitively, it seems like it’s an illegal shot that should result in a fault for the person striking the ball.
However, before calling a fault on yourself for a “double-hit” understand this: If the “double-hit” was a result of one continuous motion – without a second intentional swing or push – then it is, indeed, a legal shot even if it hit your paddle twice in the one swing.
So in interpreting this rule, “one continuous motion,” is the operative concept. Here is what the applicable rule about the double hit in the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook has to say about double-hits.
Double Hit according to the USA Pickleball Official Rulebook
Rule #10.D
Double Hit. Balls can be hit more than once, but the stroke must be continuous in a single direction by one player.
What’s the Difference Between a Double-Hit and a Carry in Pickleball?
Although a ball can, indeed, be legally double-hit based on Rule #10.D, a ball that is carried is illegal – whether intentional or not. Carrying the ball refers to hitting it in such a way that it does not bounce away from the paddle but is carried along on the face of the paddle.
Rule #12.C.1
Fault – Catch or Carry. When a player catches or carries a ball on their paddle during a rally, it is a fault against the player.
Related Articles
For more information on Miscellaneous Rules, check out the articles below:
For information on all of the Pickleball Rules, check out our complete guide.
Final Thoughts
Please make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so that you receive additional pickleball rules clarifications and interpretations for many of the common — and not-so-common — scenarios that happen on the pickleball courts. By subscribing to the newsletter you will also receive pickleball tips, strategies, tournament recaps, and more.
Whose call is it – player A returns a ball. The opponent, player B, thinks the ball that player A hit actually hit twice before player A returned it. Player A says that the ball did not hit twice before he hit it. Who gets to make that call?
Hi Debra, Great question. In non-officiated play, the only calls one can make on the opposite side of the net (and are enforceable without needing agreement from the offending party) are service foot faults and NVZ infractions. Because this is not a service foot fault or NVZ infraction question, Player A has to actually “admit” that it bounced twice. If there is no agreement, player A “wins” the argument and, therefore, it would NOT be ruled as a fault on player A. Hope that helps.
Who is responsible for determining whether the serve is in or out in doubles? Can the team that’s serving make the call for their opponents…….obviously this can be a very contentious rule for players. The receiving team should make their own calls in my opinion.
Hi Neil,
Rules #6.D.1 and #6.D.2 address your question and the responsibility of calling lines on your side of the court.
Hope this helps!